Current-motor.



J. H. ATKINS. CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1909.

Patented 'Apr. 5, 1910.

Wmn'fifiSHEETS-SHEET 1.

\ WITNESSES.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

IIVVENTOR Jhn H. @Hbkms J, H. ATKINS. CURRENT MOTOR; AHLIGATION FILEDJULY 26, 1909.

2AM $4M ANDREW B. GRAHAM c0. PuoYaLnnosnAPniks, WAsmNmun. DJ;

PAT

JOHN H. ATKINS, 0F PASCO, WASI-IINGTGN.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. a, 1910.

Application filed. July 26, 1909. Serial No. 509,494.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. ATKINS, residin at Pasco, in the county ofFranklin and tate of Washington, have invented a new and ImprovedCurrent-Motor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that type of powertransmitting means of the water wheel type, adapted to float in or overthe current of the stream and which, by

impact of the water is rotated and conveys motion to a powertransmitting wheel or device mounted on the bank of the stream, upon awharf or upon a scow anchored in the stream.

My invention, in its generic nature, comprehends an improvedconstruction of the water or power wheel, the means for coupling it tothe standard or platform devices on which the power transmitting meanscoupled with the water wheel is mounted, and means, also operable fromthe said platform or standard, for conveniently and quickly shifting thewater wheel to bring it into or out of the impacting force of thecurrent.

In its more complete nature, my invention embodies, in connection with acurrent wheel and means for shifting the same into and out of thecurrent, an improved means for raising or lowering the wheel to adapt itto the rise and fall of the tide, other details of construction beingalso included, all of which will be hereinafter fully described,specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of myinvention, the wheel being shown as held in direct line of the current.Fig. 2, is a plan view thereof, the wheel being shown swung out of thecurrent, in full lines, and on the current, in dotted lines. Fig. 3, isa front elevation'of my invention, parts being in section, theconnections between the current wheel and the bracket extension beingomitted.

In carrying out my invention, the supporting means or framing is upon oradjacent a wharf or platform designated W in the drawing, and the saidsupporting means consists of two posts or spiles AA that are preferablydriven into the creek or river bed adjacent the wharf, as clearly shownin Fig. 1, by reference to which it will be also noticed, that the twoparts AA have guide grooves aa to receive the laterally proj ectedtongues 14; on a rectangular frame or carriage 14c vertically adjustablebetween the said posts,'the adjustment thereof being provided for by aplate 14E in the top of the frame, a screw rod C whose lower end swivelly joins with the said plate 1 F and whose upper end passes through across head or bar A that is secured to the tops of the posts AA, andwhich has attached to it a plate I) having a threaded aperture toreceive the threaded rod C, the several parts being so combined that bysimply turning the rod G to the right or left the frame or carriage canbe readily raised or lowered, as described.

10 designates a driven shaft, horizontally journaled in the brackets1212 on the posts A-A, the inner end of which, in practice, ispreferably squared to allow an operator to apply a crank to turn thesame when it is desired to wind up the wheel pulling cable on a drumlike rack wheel 18 having a spur or gear face 18 that engages with apair of oppositely disposed planet gears 21 journaled on short stubshafts 21 -21 that project outwardly from a block mounted on the shaft10 to turn therewith, see Fig. 3.

19 designates a power transmitting pulley loosely mounted on the shaft10 and provided with a bevel gear face 19 that meshes with the gears 21and over which takes the transmitting belt or cable 19 which, inpractice, extends ashore and is coupled with the driver pulley (notshown) of mechanism to be driven by the power generated by the currentwheel.

13 designates a universal coupling for joining the shaft 10 with theshaft 11 of the current wheel that comprises a hub 5 in which shaft 11is fixedly held, and a series of radial and auger like shaped wings orblades 50, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

It should be here stated, the planet gear devices before referred to,provide, as it were, an equalizer movement and said movement is furtherconnected with the current wheel by means of a cable 32, one end ofwhich connects with the hub of the'drive gear 18, see Fig. 2, and passesover a guide pulley 23 on the main framing and also over a pulley block34: that is connected to a current, and also for conveniently swingingit into proper position, a supplemental post For holding the wheel tothe 30 is provided that is located adjacent the posts AA and joins withthe upper or cross head A, by a bracket timber A. ()n the timber A anddirectly above post 30 is mounted a windlass 31 to which one end ofcable 32, before referred to, fastened and on which it is wound by thewindlass crank y that is held from back thrust by pawl a: which engagesthe ratchet disk on the windlass, see Fig. 1. Cable 32 extends down fromwindlass 31 over a guide pulley 33 mounted on a pulley block thatprojects from a sleeve 27 vertically adjustable on the post 30, forbeing raised or lowered in harmony with the gear carrying frame on theposts AA to suit the rise and fall of the tides. From the pulley 33cable 32 passes to pulley 34 and from thence over pulley 37 and roller23 to the drive gear 18 to which it is fastened.

By reason of connecting the current wheel through the cable 32 with thewindlass 31 at one end and the gear drum pulley 18 at the other end, asimple and effective means is provided, first, to swing the wheel andfor holding to the current at the set position and that this may bebetter understood, the working of the machine is now explained.

On the end of shaft 10 is fitted a crank for turning it. By turning thecrank to the right the pulley 19 being now held from turning by thefrictional resistance of the power cable, drive gear 18 turns with theshaft, winds the cable 32 thereon and as the other end of cable 32 isheld from unwinding from windlass 31, the wheel 5 is swung from positionshown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. After the wheel has been swungout to the current, the cable 32 is rapidly slackened on the drum gear18, and as current wheel now turns shafts 11 and 10 in the otherdirection, the slackened end of cable 32 again winds on drum gear 18 andequalizes as it were, the pull strain of cable 32, one end being nowheld fast on windlass 31 and the other tightly wound on drum gear 18,the latter being now held from turning and forms a stationary or planetgear around which the gears 2121 now travel and as they turn on theirshafts 21-2 1 they transmit motion to the ground or power transmittinggear 19, which, in the arrangement of the parts shown, receives tworevolutions at each complete turn of shaft 10, it being understood thatsince both ends of cable 32 are held taut, wheel 5 stays to its setposition in the current.

19 is the cable that transfers the power from pulley 19 to the pointdesired.

It is manifest that when the wheel 5 is in the position shown in Fig. 1and it is desired to render it inoperative, by tripping the pawl a2 outof the ratchet y on the windlass device, the current will swing thewheel 5 over to the position shown in dotted lines on Fig. 2 and hold itthere, and when thus held it can be easily brought in position to thecurrent by winding cable on the windlass, or in instances where it isdesirable the outer end of the shaft 10 may be equipped with a crank andthe-cable windlass mechanism and the other end of such cable 32 beingfast to the drum 18.

38 designates a lift cable that is secured to the upper end of sleeve 27and is made fast to a stud or pin 39 on the top of bracket member A Fromthe foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, thecomplete arrangement of my invention, the manner in which it is operatedand adjusted, it is believed, will be readily apparent.

By reason of the detailed combination of the several parts as describedand shown, the power from motors constructed in accordance with myinvention is almost unlimited since the sizes of the wheels may bevaried and one more wheel and gear mechanism controlled thereby may becombined and the power from all of the wheels and said mechanismstransmitted to a single driven. shaft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a current motor, a platform, a pair of standards thereon, a powertransmitting means mounted between the standards and having verticalmovement with respect to the standards, devices for holding the saidpower transmitting means to the vertical adjustments, a current wheel, auniversal joint connecting the current wheel shaft and the shaft of thepower transmitting means, and mechanism mounted on the platformconnected with the wheel for moving the wheel into the direct line ofthe current and for holding it there.

2. The combination with the platform, the standards thereon, a framevertically slidable between the standards, means engaging the standardsand the frame for adjustably moving the frame vertically, powertransmitting means mounted on the said frame, a current wheel, universalcoupling joining the shaft for the current wheel with the shaft of thepower transmitting means, another standard, a pulley block supportingsleeve vertically adjustable on the standard, means for moving thesleeve and holding it to its vertical adjustment, a windlass, a cablewound thereon, pulley blocks on the vertically adjustable sleeve, and acurrent wheel over which the cable passes, the outer or free end of thesaid cable being made fast to the platform.

3. A current motor, comprising a platform, power transmitting meansmounted pulleys on the sleeve and the pulley on the current wheel shaft,the free ends of said transmitting means, a sleeve on the wheel cablebeing made fast to the main framing, shaft, a pulley block on the saidsleeve, a and means for vertically adjusting the 15 on the platform, acurrent wheel, a knuckle supplemental standard, a sleeve. vertically 1power transmitting means and the wheel connection joining the wheel andthe power movable on the said standard, two pulley to suit the rise andfall of the tide, as set blocks mounted on the said sleeve, means forforth. raising and lowering the sleeve and holding JOHN H. ATKINS. it toits adjusted positions, mounted on the Witnesses:

A. C. ROUTHE,

platform, a Windlass mounted on the plat- GRACE ROUT E.

form, the cable of which passes over the

